Infant carrier device



1958 H. F. WATSON 2,846,699

INFANT CARRIER DEVICE Filed May 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I20 N f /06 INVENTOR. 9 HARRY E WA TSON 2M QM AGENT 8 H. F. WATSON 2,846,699

INFANT CARRIER DEVICE Filed May 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Y INVENTOR.

I /G. /2. HARRY E WATSON 2a Q wdh Assn/r 2,846,699 Patented Aug. 12, 1958 tic INFANT CARRHER DEVICE Harry F. Watson, Alhambra, Calif. Application May 7, 1956, Serial No. 583,328 3 Qlaims. (Cl. -98) The present invention relates generally to carrier articles, and relates more particularly to such articles as adapted to the carrying of an infant by its mother.

Many devices have been developed and produced for the transportation of children accompanied by parents or other persons. Most of such devices are wheeled carriages of one type or another, and adapted to transporting children of all ages from infants on through the toddlers to the larger children. Such devices serve their particular purposes but do not adapt themselves at all to the problem faced by a young mother, for example, with a small baby where it is either desirable or necessary to carry the baby rather than use transporting means requiring the use of the hands.

It is often necessary that the baby be carried, and many times into places where wheeled carriages would be awkward or undesirable. The American Indians solved the problem to their satisfaction by devising the well known cradleboard to be attached to the mothers back so she could work with both hands.

The modern mother has no need to secure the infant thusly, but it is frequently desirable that both hands be free while the infant is being carried.

It is therefor an object of this invention to provide an infant carrier adapted to be slung from a harness which may cross over the shoulder of a person. It is a further object to provide such a device with leg'members which may be extended or retracted as desired while the carrier is slung from the shoulder. It is a particular object to provide a device in which all possible metal parts thereof are covered preferably with the same cloth or other material of which the carrier is fabricated whereby metal edges which might be injurious or dangerous are effectively concealed.

It is another object to fabricate the carrier of washable materials which are easily and quickly detachable from a frame for laundering.

It is a particular object to provide a carrier device which is easily and quickly adjustable to different lengths while the carrier is either slung from the shoulder or resting on its leg members.

Other and further objects will be apparent upon consideration of the drawings and description thereof, and it goes almost without saying that a perferred embodiment is shown and described without intent to limit the scope to such embodiment shown in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an illustration of the invention in use;

Pig. 2 is a side elevation view of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the carrier of the invention with the harness removed for clarity of illustration;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation view of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tubular frame used in the invention;

Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the receptacle members comprised in the pouch to be secured to the frame of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross section view of that portion taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 9 is a similar fragmentary cross section view taken on line 99 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a similar fragmentary cross section view taken on line 10-1tl of Fig. 3;

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary cross section view taken on line ]l111 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view partly in cross section, taken on line 12-12 of Fig. 11.

Referring to Fig. 1 there is illustrated the manner in which the invention is utilized in practise, wherein a carrying harness disposed over a shoulder of a young mother is secured to a frame having a pouch for carrying an infant, for example. In Figs. 2 and 4 the carrying article is shown with extended feet to rest the article and its burden on a fiat surface. In Figs. 2, 3 and 5 there is illustrated by means of dashed lines the adjnstability of the length of the article to accommodate for growth of the infant or for the mere temporary purpose of carrying packages adjacent the feet of the infant, for example.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 5 there is shown a generally rectangular adjustable frame 10 comprised of generally U-shaped tubular frame members 12 and 14, the member 12 having side parts 16 and 13 with one end of each forming an extension of the end part 20. The opposite free ends of the side parts 16 and 18 are open and adapted to receive therewithin in slidable relationship the free ends of the side parts 22 and 24 of the frame member 14, the opposite ends of the side parts 22 and 24 forming an extension of the end part 26. The members may, of course, be channeled instead of tubular, the sole requirement being that they be slidably adjustable with respect to each other (as illustrated by the dashed lines).

Pivotally secured to the frame 10 on the end parts 20 and 2-6, respective! are the channel shaped leg members 23, 3t), and 32, 3 3. Referring to Figs. 11 and 12 for more detailed fragmentary enlarged illustrations of the leg structure, it is seen that the pivotal means for the leg 28, for example, comprises a pin 36 extending through the side members of the leg 28 and transversely through the end part 26. These figures also show, by way of example for each of the legs 28, 36, S2, and 34, releasable locking means for securing the legs firmly in their unfolded position, said means comprising a slip clip 38 secured to the web 46 of the leg member 28 by means of rivets. The clip 38 is provided with spring-like sides adapted to slide over and resiliently engage the end part 20 when the leg 28 is unfolded by rotating it about its respective pivotal pin 36.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7 there is shown a pair of pouch shaped receptacle members 42 and 44 open at one end, and which may be fabricated from canvas, duck, drill, or from a plastic or other flaccid material if preferred. The member 4-2 comprises a bottom portion 46, side portions 48 and 50, and an extended end portion 52 having a flap means 5'4 including snap fasteners 56 and The upper edges of the sides 48 "and 5t are turned over and back upon the sides 48 and and sewn thereto to form hem-like sleeves 43, 45, 47, 51, 53, and 55 adapted to receive therewithin the side parts of a frame member, for example side parts 22 and 24 of the frame member 12 as shown in Fig. 9. The flap 54 is adapted then to overlie the end part 26 when the side parts are disposed within the sleeves and to enfold the leg members 28 and 38 when the latter are folded against the end part, whereupon the flap is secured by the fasteners 56 and 5'8.

The receptacle member 44 is similar to member 42, comprising the bottom portion 60, the side portions 62 and 64, and the end portion 66 having a flap means 68 provided with snap fasteners 70 and 72, all arranged providing adjustability of the length of the pouch-as determined by the adjustment of the frame members 12 and 14. To this end the fastening means comprise the female elements of the snap fasteners 74, '76, 78 on the side parts 48, and fasteners 80, 82, 84 on theside part 50 secured at spaced intervals adjacent the top edges of the respective side parts. Mating male elements of the snap fasteners 86, 88, 90 on the side part 62 and fasteners 92, 94, 96 on the side part 64 are similarly secured adjacent the top edges of the respective side parts to comprise the necessary remaining elements of the detachable fastening means.

It will be observed that the inner sides of the aforementioned sleeves of the side parts 48 and 50 are slotted while the outer sides of the sleeves of the side parts 62 and 64 are similarly slotted. It will be further observed that the spacing intervals of the male elements on the side parts 48 and 50 are equal to each other and to the equal spacing intervals of the female elements of the side parts 62 and 64.

Such construction allows sleeve 45 to lie alongside side part 16 and sleeve 57 rather than receive the side part 16 therewithin. Similarly sleeve 59 may lie along side side parts 16 and sleeve 43. Thus, sleeves 43 and 51 on the side part 16 are adjustable over the interval between sleeves 47 and 61. In a similar fashion, sleeve 4 53 may be alongside the side part 18 and sleeve 65 while sleeve 67 may be alongside the side part 18 and sleeve 51.

The arrangement i illustrated generally in Fig. 3 and more particularly in the details of Fig. 9.

It is now apparent that the arrangement just described permits adjustability of the receptacle members 42 and 44 (and thus frame members 12 and 14) relative to each other lengthwise and the fastening of the members'42 and 44 to each other at selected intervals since male fastener element 86, for example, will mate with female elements 78, 76, or 74 at selectively short, medium, or long adjustments of the carrier.

A harness is provided to adapt the carrier for portability. A single strap portion 100 is arranged with a shoulder pad 102 and is provided with adjustable loop ends 104 and 106 adapted to enclose D-rings 108 and .110. Secured to the four corners of the frame are the clamps 112, 114, 116, and 118, each being arranged to receive a snap clip, such as the clip 120 illustrated in Fig. 10. A Webbing strap connects the clips on the clamps 112 and 114 and a similar strap connects the clips on the clamps 116 and 118, as best shown in Fig. 4. A snap clip. is secured on each of the connecting straps and adapted to connectively engage with the D-rings 108 and 110. Adjustable slides may be provided on the connecting straps. All of the construction of the harness is well known in the art and need not be further described in detail.

It is now seen from the foregoing description that there has been provided a novel portable carrier for infants, the said carrier being particularly characterized by the ease with which enfolded leg members may be extended to permit the carrier and its burden to be rested on a flat surface. A further particularizing characteristic is the ease with which the carrier may be lengthened or shortened, as the case may be. The simple procedures entailed in extending the legs (or retracting them) and in adjusting the carrier length are unusually efficacious without the need for complicated maneuvering and are easily and readily accomplished while the carrier is slung from the harness over the shoulder.

I claim:

1. A carrier article, comprising: first and second generally U-shaped frame members, each having side parts and an end part joining one end of each of the side parts, the side parts of one of said frame members being channeled and open at the ends away from the joinder end part thereof and adapted to receivev within the end opening the free ends of the other of said frame members to form a generally rectangular adjustable frame; first and second pouch shaped flaccid receptacle members each open on one end and each having a substantially flat bottom portion and side and end portions, each of the frame membersbeing arranged with the free edges of the side and end portions of therespective receptacle members securable thereto to form a pouch open at the top with at least a portion of the bottom and side portions of one of said receptacle members disposed within and adjacent at least a portion of the bottom and side portions of the other of said receptacle members; and detachable fastening means on both of said receptacle members for securing them to each other at selectively spaced interval-s whereby at least one dimension of the pouch may be varied by adjusting said frame members relative to each other and by se curing said two of said receptacle members to each other in accordance with the selected adjustment of said frame members. 7

2. A carrier article,.comprising: first and second generally U-shaped tubular frame members, each having side parts and an end part joining one end of each of the side parts, the free open ends of the side parts of one of said frame members being adapted to receivewithin the end openings the free ends of the other of said frame members to form a generally rectangular slidably adjustable frame; first and second pouch shaped flaccid receptacle members each open on one end and each having a substantially flat battom portion and side and end portions, each of the frame members being arranged with the free edges of the side and end portions of the respective receptacle members securable thereto to form a pouch open at the top with at least a portion of the bottom and side portions of one of said receptacle members disposed within and adjacent at least a portion of the bottom and-side portions of the other of said receptacle members; and detachable fastening means on both of said receptacle members for fastening them to each other at selectively spaced intervals wherebyv at least one dimension of the pouch may be varied by adjusting said frame members relative to each other and by securing said receptacle members to each other in accordance with the' selected adjustment of said frame members.

3. A carrier article, comprising: first and second gen erally U-shaped tubular frame members, each having side parts and an end part joining one end of each of the side parts, the free open ends of the side parts of one of said frame members being adapted to receive within the end openings the free ends of the other of said frame members to form a generally rectangular slidably adjustable frame; first and second pouch shaped flaccid receptacle members each open at one end and each having a substantially flat bottom portion and generally vertically disposable side portions securable to respective side parts of said frame members, said receptacle members further having generally vertically disposable end portions including end flap means adapted to overlie and enfold the end parts of said frame to form a pouch open at the top with at least a portion of the bottom and side portions of one of said receptacle members disposed within and adjacent to at least a portion cured to said frame members adjacent the end parts thereof and adapted in their folded position to be enfolded by the end flap means of the end portions of said receptacle members, and further adapted to be unfolded when the flap means are unfastened whereby the free ends of said leg members are adapted to rest on a surface for supporting said article; and detachable fastening means on said receptacle members for fastening them to each other at selectively spaced intervals whereby at least one dimension of the pouch may be varied by adjusting said frame membersrelative to each other and by securing said receptacle members to each other in accordance with the selected adjustment of said frame members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 314,752 Throckmorton Mar. 31, 1885 '6 McGregor Mar. 13, 1900 Macfarlane Jan. 24, 1911 Price Dec. 23, 1913 Carnes Dec. 29, 1925 Kaminski Jan. 31, 1950 Martin Feb. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Norway July 28, 1910 Austria Aug. 25, 1914 Germany Dec. 23, 1898 Australia Oct. 14, 1938 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1918 Great Britain July 30, 1937 France May 17, 1950 

